Sushi Central

Abu Dhabi is not lacking in sushi joints and Japanese restaurants, however good sushi is somewhat difficult to find outside of the sometimes prohibitively expensive hotels. Not any more.

Sushi Central is not terribly glamorous, it’s not terribly big either. The petite dining room is clean with a functional aesthetic which takes it just a step above a café in terms of décor. The service is very friendly, but a little haphazard which can lead to some comedic or frustrating moments – depending on your mood. There is a window to the kitchen so you can see the chefs at work, which is also very nice, but the best thing about Sushi Central is the quality of the food.

Being of the indecisive persuasion, we ordered a bit of a mixed bag. Starting with a generous portion of edamame (which can be served with a variety of sauces though we elected for simple sea salt) to tide us over until the rest of the food arrived, the next arrival to the table was a portion of steamed shrimp gyoza. It wasn’t the best we’ve ever tried, the wrapping was a little soggy, but it was satisfying and the filling and dip both tasted good.

Considering the name of the restaurant, it would have been rude not to order a selection of sushi, so we had a portion of salmon nigiri, tuna and cucumber rolls and one of the inside-out rolls marked as a ‘favourite’ – the crunchy spicy tuna maki roll which included cucumber and a chili garlic sauce and was topped with tempura bits for the crunch. This was our favourite of the meal. So often with speciality rolls, the sauce overpowers the rest of the ingredients (and often has a suffocating mayonnaise flavour, which we don’t appreciate) but this example was well balanced and delicious. For such a standard combination (spicy sauce, tuna, cucumber) it managed to be new and exciting – largely due to the garlic in the sauce. The rest was delicious; the salmon nigiri fresh and creamy and the tuna and cucumber rolls were crunchy and zingy without anything more than a little wasabi and soy sauce.

We also ordered the chicken teriyaki for the sake of sampling the hot dishes. The portion was substantial with a good serving of rice – easily making a good lunch for a hungry customer – and the sweet-savoury teriyaki sauce was sticky and dark over the piece of chicken that was, thankfully, not stripped of the skin and fat that gives it flavour.

After all of that we were stuffed, so we had to forgo dessert, though the sweet maki varieties caught our eye for the next time.

When we visited for lunch on a weekday the restaurant was surprisingly empty but we expect this to change soon. Sushi Central also delivers, which is pretty awesome.

User reviews

ValueAmbienceService

DecorFoodOverall

Users voted this restaurant most suitable for:
Family friendly

User reviews:

Posted by: John Adams on 04 Jun ' 13 at 15:29

Edited by TimeOutAbuDhabi.com

The place did not provide what promised.
The sushi taste was way less than average, the desserts were really bad, and the waiters and waitresses were lost all the time. The decoration okay, but what's decoration if it came with bad food and bad service?

Posted by: Imti on 21 May ' 13 at 06:27

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

Best for: Family friendly

Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

Edited by TimeOutAbuDhabi.com

If you are looking for delicious and fresh quality japanese food, then you definitely have to visit sushi central. Everytime I go there it is a culinary experience for my palate. My personal highlight are the sweet desserts, a must try for every sweet tooth in Abu Dhabi, I promise you no regrets.
Can't wait for your new branch to open, so I finally can pamper my colleagues and myself during office hours

Posted by: Walid Tabet on 12 May ' 13 at 10:57

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

Best for: Family friendly

Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

Edited by TimeOutAbuDhabi.com

Great Sashimi Salad...can't get enough of it!!
Excellent value for money...it u haven't tried it yet, make sure u do asap!

Posted by: Walid Tabet on 25 Apr ' 13 at 11:57

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

Best for: Family friendly

Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

Great food, very fresh...the Sashimi Salad is a MUST!!
Very friendly staff and very decently priced. Great value for money!

Posted by: Apples Barz on 18 Apr ' 13 at 06:08

Best for: Family friendly

Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

The place is really cozy!
Although I opt for delivery most of the time!
But my favourite is their Crab & cucumber salad - very light, yet filling!
They have new choices in the menu, like the express lunches and I would want to try that soon!

Posted by: Steve Zehenny on 16 Apr ' 13 at 13:04

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

Best for: Family friendly

Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

From all the Sushi restaurants I tried, Sushi Central is the best, cleanest and friendliest. I will definitely be eating there more frequently. The service was excellent and the food was so good and so fresh. Sushi Central is good for business lunch, dinner, friendly lunch / dinner, good for any mood.

Posted by: Mohamed Al-Mehairbi on 15 Apr ' 13 at 07:02

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

Best for: Brunch served

Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

Best Japanese restaurant I found so far in UAE, keep the good work going and wish you all the best, Recommended A+++

Posted by: shamma al dhaheri on 14 Apr ' 13 at 15:55

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

Best for: Family friendly

Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

i really liked your restaryant and food!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: Sarah on 14 Apr ' 13 at 08:36

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

Ok I am personally obsessed with the crab and cucumber salad; the dressing is so so good. The rolls are delicious, fresh and perfect in terms of one-bite-size factor. The business-lunch offer on delivery is extremely convenient for a fast, healthy and yummy in-office meal.

Absolutely recommend this place for delivery or dine-in.

Posted by: Alex on 22 Mar ' 13 at 09:55

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

Best for: Family friendly

Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

Edited by TimeOutAbuDhabi.com

So glad to see this positive review - we've been going to Sushi Central since it opened and have been hoping that more people would learn about it. Excellent fresh fish, well-prepared, and really nice people. A good simple place like this - and one that delivers, too - is a great addition to Abu Dhabi!

Posted by: James on 21 Mar ' 13 at 21:01

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

The Food was fresh and tasted great. The Delivery service is awesome!!

Posted by: Imti on 20 Mar ' 13 at 06:39

Best for: Business lunch

Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

Edited by TimeOutAbuDhabi.com

I absolutely give my thumbs up to the header "Superb sushi without the hotel prices"
Reasonable prices and excellent quality, the selection is brilliant and the food is super tasty. It is everytime a fabulous experience having sushi from sushi central and I can only recommend sushi fans to either pass by or definately use the delivery service which is FIRST CLASS, you can pay with your credit card on arrival. Makes ordering so much easier when you are short on cash.
My favorites are the Seaweed Salad which is "the best in town" and the sweet selections of make rolls, for those who love sweet and want to experience something completely different.
Can't wait for my next Sushi Central experience and I am glad that we NOW have the option of getting this excellent quality for less.